The nap Gui Yin took was short-lived. His lashes batted open and he was greeted with four pairs of eyes, watching him silently. His brows furrowed as he sat from the divan. A short yawn escaped his lips as he looked at his disciples a bit helplessly.
“Your Shizun is taking a nap, but you all have the guts to actually sneak in and watch him?” Gui Yin asked.
Shan Yu giggled. She immediately stood and sat down on the edge of Gui Yin’s bed. She hugged his arm and pouted. “Shizun, isn’t it because we missed you?”
“Shizun,” Qin Siyi mimicked Shan Yu’s actions. “You won’t leave again, right?”
“Can I determine that? I didn’t even want to leave the last two times,” Gui Yin said. He glanced between the two girls and clicked his tongue. “How much did you two cry this time? Look at your eyes. No amount of makeup can cover that up.”
The two girls smiled sheepishly.
Gui Yin glanced at Gui Linghuo. “Did your Shixiong tell you what happened?”
“Most of the truth,” Shan Yu nodded.
Gui Yin looked at the four children who had most likely been worried out of their mind these past few years. They were adults now, so they had been able to handle the situation better than the first time, but when Gui Yin thought about the mess he had left behind for them to deal with, he felt that he owed them a proper explanation.
So, he told his story from beginning to end. He omitted most of the twenty-first century, only vaguely saying that it was another reality, far different from theirs. The longer he spoke, the more their expressions dimmed. By the time Gui Yin had finished, Shan Yu was tightly hugging him as her shoulders shook. Although the others didn’t cry, they looked as if they were on the verge of tears.
“Why are you three crying again?” Gui Yin murmured as he patted Shan Yu’s back. “After this, don’t cry anymore. It’s unlucky.”
“I-it’s because—Shizun, you’ve been through too much!” Shan Yu bawled.
Gui Yin pursed his lips awkwardly and glanced to Yankui, who he hoped would still be the most grounded. Unfortunately for him, the young man’s gaze had turned watery. He was refusing to look at Gui Yin or any of the others in case he started crying as well.
“It’s…it’s fine,” Gui Yin said.
“Shizun, you’re always telling us that we can rely on you or that when we run into issues, we have to find someone to help. However, Shizun, you don’t follow your own teachings at all,” Qin Siyi scolded.
“I’m sure even the Sect Master doesn’t know half of what Shizun has been through,” Gui Linghuo said.
“How can that be the same? You three were all children. I’m an adult,” Gui Yin said.
The resentful looks of the three disciples made Gui Yin loudly clear his throat. He had obviously left out some of the more hard-hitting details, but these kids were still scolding him. If he had really told the entire story, wouldn’t they want to put him under house arrest?
Gui Yin coughed once and then slowly began to cough more. Shan Yu was startled. Qin Siyi began to pat Gui Yin’s back and Gui Linghuo rushed to grab Gui Yin a cup of tea. Only Yankui remained where he was, squatting on the floor, as he looked up at Gui Yin disapprovingly.
“Thank you, thank you,” Gui Yin choked out. He met Yankui’s glance and gave him a wink. The younger man rolled his eyes but really didn’t say anything.
“Then, Shizun, your hair…” Shan Yu’s voice trailed off.
Gui Yin handed the cup to Siyi. He snapped his fan open and grumpily sighed, “Your Sun-shushu said something about how it became this way because the stress in my body was too great.”
He looked completely wronged. “How am I supposed to go out into the world now? I look like an old man.”
Gui Yin’s reputation of a handsome lord immortal may as well go down the drain now. Without his beautiful black hair, how was he supposed to face the world? Those old coots were bound to mock him for having hair whiter than theirs.
The three disciples and Yankui glanced at each other.
Beauty really was in the eyes of the beholder.
Whether it was Langxia or the four sitting here now, if you had asked them privately, they may even say that white hair suits Gui Yin more. Before, he had looked like any regular cultivator. Now, however, if he simply furrowed his brows a little, the pressure his looks alone gave off was enough to suppress any type of underling.
He didn’t just have the powers of an immortal cultivator, he looked just like the ones from the stories.
“It looks great!” Shan Yu quickly said. She wiggled her fingers towards her martial siblings to get the compliments started.
“It does! Shizun, you look much more authoritative,” Qin Siyi said.
“Very powerful,” Gui Linghuo nodded in agreement.
Gui Yin forced a smile at the compliments, but he couldn’t help but wonder—doesn’t that just mean he looks older?
“I think Laoshi looks very handsome,” Yankui shyly complimented.
Gui Yin glanced at him with a raised brow.
“It’s the contrast of white hair with your youthful face,” Yankui explained passionately. “It adds an air of mystery. It makes you seem even more like an untouchable Kaolin flower.”
Gui Yin’s stiff expression loosened a little.
Shan Yu, Qin Siyi, and Gui Linghuo were enlightened by Yankui’s compliment, but when it came to doing the same themselves, they couldn’t quite bring themselves to.
“That’s exactly it!” Shan Yu quickly said.
Gui Linghuo nodded mutely.
“Laoshi’s beauty won’t be hindered by something like hair color,” Yankui said. He lightly cleared his throat and attempted to put on his most serious expression. “It might even make you more attractive.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Gui Yin laughed. “Alright, alright, I understand. Anymore and Huo’er is going to be jealous.”
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“Will Shizun be at Yunjing Pavilion for a while?”
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Shan Yu happily clapped her hands together. “Shuangye Peak finally has a peak lord again!”
“Does that mean you’ll move back here?” Yankui asked.
Shan Yu nodded seriously. “I should. After all, Zhengyang Shan Sect has plenty of people to take care of it. But our Shizun only has us.”
Gui Yin tapped Shan Yu’s head with his fan. “What are you saying? You’re responsible for the livelihood of an entire province. You can’t just leave and move here!”
Shan Yu pouted. “But if I leave, Siyi has to leave with me too. Shizun, are you willing?”
Gui Yin glanced at Qin Siyi, whose face abruptly turned into a tomato.
“Did you two get married without me?” Gui Yin asked as he fanned himself.
“N-no! There wasn’t…we haven’t…” Qin Siyi’s voice trailed off. She took a breath to regain her composure. “And I don’t think we will be for a while. Of course, this disciple’s loyalty to Yunjing Pavilion will always come first and foremost. Just ignore what A-Yu is saying.”
Shan Yu whined as she slumped against Gui Yin. “It’s just not fair! How come everyone gets to stay and I have to leave?”
“You’re the sect leader of a sect,” Gui Yin said as he laughed at Shan Yu’s petulance. “You can’t just stay here and pretend like you’re only my disciple.”
Shan Yu was extremely unwilling. If that demon god Qiao Ceng hadn’t already died, she might fly out and tear him limb from limb herself, for plotting the death of her grandfather. Her brows furrowed, as she fell into great doubt.
Gui Yin patted Shan Yu’s back comfortingly. “Just visit.”
Shan Yu hummed resignedly, but anyone in the room could tell that she was clearly plotting something.
After a few more words, Gui Yin stood. “Alright, you lot. It’s well past bedtime.”
“But we want to talk to Shizun some more,” Qin Siyi said as Gui Yin began to herd them from his room.
“I understand, however, I’m very tired,” Gui Yin said. “It’s been a long time since I slept in my own bed, so if you’ll all excuse me.”
The three disciples and Yankui watched as the door was mercilessly closed in their face. They glanced at each other before slowly making their way back to their own courtyard.
“Shizun seems okay,” Shan Yu was the first to whisper.
“But you know him,” Qin Siyi said with a frown. She crossed her arms and glanced back at the peak lord’s courtyard. “He’s always keeping things bottled up inside.”
“He has Yífú and Sect Master Lin. Even if he doesn’t tell us anything, I’m sure he’ll tell them,” Yankui said.
“That’s what we can only hope for,” Gui Linghuo muttered.
“I just never expected that he…” Qin Siyi’s voice trailed off. She shook her head. “I suppose it makes sense. He seemed soulless for so many years. I thought he became more attentive because A-Yu’s grandfather was not someone he could offend, but it seems like there was much more to it than that.”
“Shizun was never even the type to care about things like that,” Shan Yu said.
“I know that now. But before, Da-shixiong and I didn’t know him at all,” Qin Siyi said.
“I just thought he disdained me for the ghostly qi in my body,” Gui Linghuo said.
Shan Yu glanced at Qin Siyi and Gui Linghuo.
Although they seemed like a happy family on the outside, Shan Yu couldn’t help but wonder what was going through their heads when they had been much younger. Gui Yin hadn’t been completely conscious during the time he had brought Qin Siyi and Gui Linghuo in. Perhaps there had been a sliver of consciousness, which caused him to take action and pity towards these two abandoned children. But just because he took them in doesn’t mean he was cognizant enough to properly take care of them.
The shizun Shan Yu knew when she was younger was probably the most authentic version of him they had ever known.
“It’s in the past now,” Gui Linghuo said. He looked at his shimei. “I think we still turned out okay.”
“I think Siyi turned out great!” Shan Yu exclaimed. “But you…”
“Hey,” Gui Linghuo pinched Shan Yu’s nose. “Just because you’re Sect Leader Shan now doesn’t mean I’m not still your Da-shixiong. Did you forget all your manners?”
“Ah! Ah! Siyi, help! Da-shixiong is bullying me!”
“Is he? How come I don’t see anything?” Qin Siyi asked with a curious tilt of her head.
“This—this is mariticide!”
“We’re not married,” Gui Linghuo scoffed as he closed off more air.
“Siyi, you’re an accomplice!” Shan Yu wailed.
Qin Siyi laughed at Shan Yu’s dramatic acting. “Alright, alright. You two aren’t children, what are you squabbling about?”
Gui Linghuo finally released Shan Yu. She quickly scrambled behind Qin Siyi. “That’s right! Petty! Hmph!”
Shan Yu stuck out her tongue and dodged immediately when Gui Linghuo raised his hand to smack at Shan Yu.
Qin Siyi sighed and shook her head. Yankui watched the two adult children run around with an amused smile. It had been a while since he had seen them so carefree. It was much nicer like this.
When morning came, Gui Yin was greeted by a crowd of expectant little rabbits. He could feel his head already beginning to hurt.
“I already didn’t see the Sect Master yesterday. I have to go today,” Gui Yin said as he touched the tops of each of their heads. “You four just do as you usually do. You don’t have to change up your schedule just because I’m back.”
“But we really don’t have anything going on,” Shan Yu protested.
“The other peak lords took over Shuangye Pavilion’s duties,” Gui Linghuo added.
Gui Yin looked at the three little bunnies in front of him and sighed. “You three are so…”
“We could cook a meal for Gui-laoshi,” Yankui suggested. “That way, we all have something to do until he comes back.”
Gui Yin glanced at Yankui, this little fox, and chuckled. He gave Yankui’s hair a quick tussle. “Then, that’s decided. Xiao Kui, you watch over them, okay?”
Yankui hummed. He subtly stepped between Gui Yin and the others as Gui Yin began to walk away.
As he was leaving, he heard Shan Yu’s dissatisfied protest, but Yankui only sighed.
“Even if you’re worried, sometimes people just need their own space. You have to give Laoshi the option at least.”
Gui Yin smiled to himself as he made his way down the steps.
He could have simply teleported to Lin Cangyuan’s peak, but something compelled him to walk slowly.
To everyone else, it had been six or seven years. However to Gui Yin, he was stuck in a limbo where everything had just happened and twenty-four years had already passed, all at the same time. After going back and forth so many times, Gui Yin no longer had any semblance of time. He was clearly approaching an astronomical age, but in his mind he was still at that age of twenty-nine. He knew knowledge that regular mortals could never even fathom, but at the same time he was just an editor for a webnovel agency who managed to do just a little better than his peers.
Gui Yin’s steps slowed. He looked up at the vast blue sky and closed his eyes for a moment, just to find some silence in his mind.
Was he sad? Was he happy? Was he angry? Did he still blame himself? These were all questions that had been drifting through Gui Yin’s mind since he had gotten back, but no answer came. He felt as if he was in the process of sinking down to the bottom of a very, very deep pool. On one hand, he knew he could easily swim up, but on the other, he was content with staying where he was, even if the result was drowning.
The sound of wheels rolling over dry leaves brought Gui Yin’s attention back to reality.
His eyes snapped open and he looked at the man in front of him. His serious expression quickly took on an impish smile.
The fan snapped open, as it had always had, and the youthful-looking man grinned. He cupped his hands together and lazily bowed. “Sect Master-shixiong, I have returned.”
Lin Cangyuan blinked at the man in front of him. If he still had the ability to stand, he would have needed to sit down right now. He held his head for a moment before letting out a long sigh. He gripped the wheels of his wheelchair and began to turn.
“Sect Master-shixiong, are you mad at me?” Gui Yin asked as he hurriedly caught up with him. “What the heck is this? You’re not crying and you’re not begging for a hug. You didn’t even say hi to me!”
“As long as you’re back, it’s fine.”
Gui Yin thought about the excuse Langxia had told everyone. A slow understanding dawned on him. He followed Lin Cangyuan. “Lin-shixiong, things weren’t as Er’lang explained them. There was a lot more.”
Lin Cangyuan slowed to a stop. He looked up at Gui Yin. “What?”
“I really wasn’t off playing!” Gui Yin said. He thought for a moment. “I’ll go grab Jiu-shimei and Ye-shidi. Then, I’ll explain it to everyone.”
“Forget it. I’ll ask Yenuo to gather them,” Lin Cangyuan said.
Gui Yin saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eyes and knew that the dutiful head disciple of the sect master had already heard.
Gui Yin lowered his voice and covered his mouth with his fan. “Lin-shixiong, did you two get into a fight?”
“He was being irritating, so I told him to stay out of my sight,” Lin Cangyuan murmured. “Who knew he’d actually do it?”
Gui Yin chuckled. “I’m glad you two are keeping your relationship interesting.”
Lin Cangyuan stared at Gui Yin and sighed in resignation. He began to wheel himself forward again.
“Ah! Lin-shixiong, let me help you,” Gui Yin said. He hurriedly tucked his folding fan away and caught up with the waiting Lin Cangyuan.
“So, if you weren’t fooling around, then were you really in seclusion?”
Gui Yin fell silent. “That’s um…no. I wasn’t doing that either.”
Lin Cangyuan’s brows furrowed.
“Basically everything that Er’lang told you all wasn’t real,” Gui Yin slowly explained. He thought about how much he wanted to reveal, but before he could decide, he felt a deathly grip on his hand.
Gui Yin started. It was like his nightmare of a hand suddenly shooting out from a grave to grab at him. He stared down at Lin Cangyuan’s dark expression and felt a chill go through his body.
“Gui Qinle, you better tell us the complete truth without leaving a single detail out.”
“I wasn’t—”
“If I find out later that you lied,” Lin Cangyuan raised his brows threateningly.
“A-alright. Alright,” Gui Yin quickly conceded. “Let’s…wait for our martial siblings to get here.”
Jiu Jingyi and Ye Liuxing arrived sooner than Gui Yin thought they would.
After a long time, the four peak lords could finally gather in one spot. The situation was less than ideal though—in Gui Yin’s perspective at least. He shifted uncomfortably as he took a sip of his tea. When he glanced up, he met three pairs of eyes staring back at him, all with varying degrees of seriousness.
Gui Yin let out a long sigh and snapped his fan open. He covered his face. “Don’t stare at me like that. It makes me shy!”
“Where have you been?” Jiu Jingyi asked. “And what happened? Last time we saw you, you were all…”
Gui Yin lowered his fan a little and cleared his throat. “What I’m about to tell you is a long story, but you all have to listen without interrupting me.”
Lin Cangyuan looked Gui Yin up and down. “Alright.”
“If you interrupt me, I won’t continue!”
The three peak lords expressed their exasperation in their own way. This was clearly Gui Yin’s way of trying to squirm out of telling them the entire truth.
After seeing that they had reluctantly agreed, Gui Yin started with the most hard hitting point. He lightly cleared his throat as the hair he had wasted effort on in making it black again slowly turned to white. He heard the sharp gasps of the three peak lords around him. He glanced at them, but none of them spoke. They were clearly holding back their questions.
Gui Yin sighed in disappointment and began his story from when he had first picked up a young boy named A-Xia.
By the time he finished his story of how he had woken up in Langxia’s arms, the peak lords all looked like they were ready to explode from anger.
Gui Yin fell silent as he examined their expressions. “That’s all.”
Jiu Jingyi slammed her hand on the table and stood. “You didn’t tell us anything that happened!”
“I cannot believe you,” Lin Cangyuan said as he turned away with a huff. “How could you blame yourself over something you had no control over? Kui-shishu…you shouldn’t have felt so guilty.”
Ye Liuxing looked at his two fuming martial siblings and awkwardly turned to Gui Yin. “And Palace Lord Sun theorized that this had all been part of a Heavenly Tribulation?”
“Something like that. I’m not sure yet. I’ll have to ask Lord Xun about it some more,” Gui Yin said. “Even if it wasn’t, doesn’t it sound like some epic story?”
“You can still joke?” Jiu Jingyi snapped.
Gui Yin sighed. He stood and gently pushed Jiu Jingyi back down to her seat. “Jiu-shimei, if I didn’t know how to joke and laugh about my life, I would be dead already.”
Silence settled over the table. It was clearly not the right thing to say.
Gui Yin loudly coughed. “What I mean is…it’s all over now. Qiao Ceng is dead and I’m back. And I know that there’s no use wallowing in my guilt. Isn’t that good?”
Gui Yin made eye contact with Ye Liuxing and gestured towards Jiu Jingyi and Lin Cangyuan urgently with his eyes. Ye Liuxing straightened and immediately began to nod in affirmation.
“That—that’s right! Gui-shixiong not only made it home safely, but he also completed his Heavenly Trial and learned his lesson,” Ye Liuxing quickly spoke. “This is something we should celebrate, not get worked up over.”
Jiu Jingyi glared at Ye Liuxing.
“The water had already been spilt,” Ye Liuxing reasoned. “It’s not like we can go back to the past or anything.”
Gui Yin gave Ye Liuxing a thumbs up behind his back. That’s right. That was well put.
“And you’re absolutely fine?” Lin Cangyuan asked.
Gui Yin straightened. “Of course! Not even a scratch…well, I have some scars—but I can probably take on another hundred thousand ghost cultivators on my own.”
Jiu Jingyi sighed. She glanced at Gui Yin and gave his hand a squeeze. “Thank you for coming home.”
Gui Yin patted the top of her hand and looked around. “See? This is why I didn’t want to tell you all. You all look like I’ve already died.”
“Pei,” Jiu Jingyi quickly waved her hand. “Spit on the ground and pretend like you never said that.”
Gui Yin clapped his hands together. “I’m not even upset over it anymore. You should all stop being sad as well.”
Lin Cangyuan looked at Gui Yin helplessly. “Where’s Palace Lord Sun?”
“He said he had some things to deal with back in Kunlun. Why? Did you need him?”
“I was just wondering,” Lin Cangyuan said. “He seems to be the only person you open up to.”
Gui Yin immediately fell silent as he fanned himself.
Well, now that was not something he could argue against.
Shan Yu 🤝 me, crying akxakxjs
i totally thought from Langxia’s summary (“Siyi is the new madam”) that the girls got married, oops… YAYY WE DIDNT MISS THE WEDDING!
Gui Yin and his martial siblings…. such siblings akxhskxjs im love
thanks for reading!!
I actually love the whole twist that this was a Heavenly Trial, it makes everything connect really well